31 March 2011

Brian and I went for a really hot, horrible, sticky run this morning. Still, felt great to be running in shorts and a t-shirt. Tried to go to the beach when we got back, but the wind was too strong. We did get to ride on the boat there and back though, which was fun (the boat takes you to an island beach that we love). Swam the afternoon away, and had a delicious Mexican dinner at home. Fun day.

23 March 2011

22 March 2011

Had a great dinner with great friends I tonight. I first met Midge without really meeting her. She left a note in our mailbox inquiring about the siding on our house, so Brian called her back. A few months later, my old neighbor from Chicago mentioned she knew someone else who just moved to the area. It was Midge -- who lives just a few houses away from us. Small world. Libby is someone I was told I had to meet. Supposedly we had very similar beliefs regarding work/home balance (and it turns out we do). She has two boys who are a bit older, so we even exchanged emails (me asking for after school care advice) way before meeting each other in person. And, you probably already know Melissa. She's been on my blog once or twice before. Or, pretty much every weekend, at least. I was so excited when the four of us were able to get a date on the calendar for a dinner. It was such a great night -- I really didn't want it to end. P.S. Boy, do I look tired....

21 March 2011

A couple years ago, H came home with the most awesome art piece -- his self portrait in clay. When we found out we'd be moving, one of the first things I thought of was that C wasn't going to get to do his. It really bummed me out. I was at Melissa's one day, saw the pieces her kids did, and mentioned how sad I was that we weren't going to have one for C. She suggested I simply contact the art teacher and ask if C could do one. What a great idea! Today C came home with his, and I adore it. When I asked him why his face was so pink, he said, "Because. That's the color of my face after I'm running around a lot."

20 March 2011

We looked at our calendars a couple weeks ago, and realized we only have a few more weekends here before the big move. Brian's birthday was a great opportunity to have some people over one last time. The theme was Irish of course. My guarantee to everyone was that there would be corned beef & cabbage and a birthday cake (Guinness Chocolate Cake). I didn't promise a clean house and a warned everyone that we'd be surrounded by boxes. Dinner was delicious. The company was great. It was a great way to celebrate the big guy's 40th birthday.

17 March 2011

Hope everyone's having a great St. Patty's Day. I'm not a lick of Irish, so never really did the St. Patrick's Day thing. But now-a-days, we all can be found dressed in green and doing the jig. (Not really, on the jig part). It's turned into quite a big deal. The kids had fun looking for leprechauns and gold coins. I don't think any were found, but C did set up a couple booby traps at his after-school program, which they let him keep them up for the night. Brian's up in Wisconsin for his birthday. Kind of a bummer (for us -- not him, I'm sure). At least it's not Taipei, where's he's been the last coupleyears on this very special day. To celebrate, I picked up some cupcakes from the Oak Park Bakery. These are for you, Babe! (Don't worry, we saved one for you.) But before the cupcakes, there was a bit of excitement on our block...

Yes, there's our house right on the corner. A gas leak! Never a dull moment, I tell ya. At first, we were just told about it and given the choice to stay or leave the house. But then, everyone on our side of the street was told not to go in our houses. The gas leak was up the block. And I have to say, the firemen, police and even gas company were very quick to respond. We were displaced for over a hour, but personally? I'd rather be safe than sorry. You always wonder what you'd bring in case of emergency. Well, I grabbed my laptop and hard drive, the kids and dog. C wouldn't leave house without his blanket. And H, just kept saying he should have grabbed his homework. So strange.

Today -- March 17, 2011 -- my main squeeze turns 40. (Finally...) I think this year is going to be great, and am super excited for good things. We are so very, very proud of you. Happy birthday Brian! Love, A, C & H

13 March 2011

We are moving in a few weeks. We've been packing like crazy, and have a ton more to do. Instead of just throwing stuff into boxes saying we'll deal with it later -- like we usually do -- we are trying to be very conscientious of how and what we are packing. While the amount of space in the new house is the same -- maybe even more -- there is way less raw basement storage space (like, there isn't any). The new place is also loaded with built-ins, which means we don't need a lot of our furniture. It's been interesting. Honestly, it feels really good to purge. But some of it is sentimental and a bit sad to let go of. Today this dresser left the house. It was my dad's from when he was a kid. Besides the fact that they just don't make furniture like this anymore, what made it great was the little memories my dad left behind in the drawers -- like the bottom one that says "Geometry, French, English -- I must study." I know it's absolutely silly, but what makes this all so much easier for me, is that it's going to families we know. This dresser will be in the room of a friend of H's. His desk is in another. Some book shelves and a toy box are going into our neighbor's down the street. My sister-in-law is getting our bedroom set and my grandfather's vintage bar stools. The boy's baby furniture is now in the home of H's second grade teacher's house, who is expecting any day. And even their favorite toys from when they were little are making their way into the home of one particular little boy in Wisconsin who seems to be enjoying them. Now, it's just time for us to be back together. At least we are making progress.

11 March 2011

Every Friday when Brian walks in the door after being away for the week, I just want to wrap my little family up in a blanket and snuggle the weekend away. Even the dog is welcome. However, hopping in this awesome 1978 Airstream and driving into the sunset is pretty appealing too. (Designed by Matthew Hofmann via Desire to Inspire)

09 March 2011

Tonight, after our work and school days were over, we ventured to the High School for the Art Extravaganza. It was very exciting -- a piece of C's artwork had been selected to be part of the exhibit. The walls were covered, and it was absolutely amazing to see what the kids were creating. It makes me so sad to think programs such as art, music and more are in jeopardy all over the place. These are such critical programs. Let's make sure they don't go away.

08 March 2011

Each year my uncle from North Carolina (my mom's brother) comes into town for the big Housewares Show. We always try to see each other at least for dinner one night. He's retiring this year -- supposedly -- so this could be the last one he needs to attend. And, of course, there's the fact that we are moving anyhow. So last night, he took the train out from the airport, and we went out for dinner. He even spent the night at our house, which was great, since it gave us some time to catch up a bit. And this morning, he walked the kids to school with me, then we rode the train into work together. It was a very nice visit. Thanks Uncle Richard!

06 March 2011

I went to sleep very happy last night. I was perfectly full and just had consumed some of the most incredible food and wine I've ever experienced. I couldn't help but waking up wondering if was all a dream. How lucky were we to get to dine at Alinea! We went with Leif & Melissa, which just made the evening even more special. Alinea was part 40th birthday present to Brian. And part celebrating friendship. (When I look back at our time in Oak Park, I cannot imagine our lives without the Elsmo's. Thank goodness we are only moving an hour and a half away because otherwise I'd be a wreck thinking about leaving them.) I was the Alinea virgin of the group -- but there was only one course that was on all of their previous menus. We were all in absolute awe of what we were being presented with. Grant Achatz is a absolute genius. It's true -- dining at Alinea is extravagant experience. We've been saving for months gearing up for this (and the credit card miles we've been saving will help a ton too). But that's exactly what it is. An experience. I can honestly say, that never in my life am I going to forget our time at Alinea. I was truly magical.

NOTE: Everything we ate was outstanding. Pretty much every single dish could qualify as the best thing I've every eaten (except the watercress soup, which I didn't hate, but never need to eat again -- and that being said, the urchin part of it was amazing). I marked a * by my absolute favorite dishes of the evening. I'm not even sure I could pick one favorite if I had to. It was THAT good.

Yes, that is cayenne cotton candy. Seriously, this meal is getting better the more I think about. I'm even willing to say that I'd prefer to give up going out for dinner all year just to go to Alinea again.